Heidi Plato

Anything men can do women can do better – at least when it comes to academic success at UW-Eau Claire, according to a recent study by a university counseling psychologist.

Dick Boyum of Counseling Services conducted a study on gender differences in academic performance this semester and found women are achieving more academically than men.

“They have become literally more successful than their male counterparts across the board academically,” said Boyum, who added he was surprised by the extent of the issue.

No one really has addressed this issue clearly yet, he said. Men are getting into academic trouble early by eliminating themselves from GPA requirements for their majors, Boyum said.

The question needs to be asked whether there are things the university can do to address the problem with male students, he said.

If the situation was reversed, Boyum said, the university would be looking at the issue in a much more direct manner because people have been very sensitive to providing opportunities for women in higher education.

One of the most significant findings of the study is, at any given time, 15 percent of the men on campus are not in good academic standing while only 7 percent of the female population is in bad academic standing.

Usually about 1,000 students, or 10 percent of the student population, are not in good academic standing in any given semester, Boyum said.

Of the students in bad academic standing, Boyum said the percents are reverse of what most people think. Considering that men represent only 39 percent of the student population, it’s surprising they make up close to 56 percent of students not in good academic standing, he said.

Women represent 61 percent of the population and make up about 44 percent of those in bad academic standing, he said.

Female students also have a higher semester GPA average and cumulative GPA average than men and make up 75 percent of students graduating with distinction, Boyum said.

The difference between the genders, he said, is that it’s taking men longer, among other factors, to get their degrees.

Some of the possible reasons for these results, Boyum said he thinks, are that male students, in comparison to female students, tend to cut more classes and go to bed later at night. Typically, younger male students also tend to drink more often, consume more when drinking and spend less time studying than their female counterparts, he said. National research also has shown men do other drugs with greater frequency than women.

As far as class attendance, Boyum said female students show up where they’re supposed to be and pay attention. He said women are prioritizing their educational experience.

“The women do it,” Boyum said. “The guys say, `What’s the big deal?'”

Art Lyons, senior student services coordinator of Academic and Career Services, said women use the Academic Skills Center more than men. He said about 70 to 75 percent of the center’s users are women and that they also make up a high percentage of its tutoring applicants.

The discouraging academic figures for men come despite the fact men are entering the university with slightly higher ACTs than women, Boyum said.

But he said the incoming high school class average ranking for men was in the top 30 percent while the women averaged in the top 22 percent.

This a significant difference, Boyum said, because it’s the first sign there will be a real difference in academic performance between the genders.

The data for the study was collected by Boyum from institutional planning and the Registrar’s offices.

Lyons said he’s glad the issue is being brought forward because it is an important topic.

After working at the university for more than 25 years, Boyum said he began the study because he wanted to verify what he has seen in meeting with individual men for counseling.